Tax Foundation

Ease up, Americans. Chill out. Put a spring in your step and let a smile be your guide. According to a Washington-based research group called the Tax Foundation, you began working for yourself a few days ago, May 5. From now on, every penny you make you get to keep.That assumes, of course, that you are the average American, and it assumes that every penny you made in 1988 before May 5 was dedicated to paying off your federal, state and local taxes. Oh, yes, one other note: The Tax Foundation has been doing these calculations since 1952, and the date on which the average worker got out from under the average tax burden has never before been as late as May 5. Did someone say tax ''reform''?

Low taxes have long been a carrot Florida dangles in front of businesses looking to relocate or expand. We're the fifth most tax-friendly state in the country, according to the Tax Foundation, and the second best in which to do business. But a new report suggests if lawmakers want to nurture long-term economic prosperity, they should focus more on producing a well-educated workforce and less on rolling back taxes. The study, from the progressive Economic Policy Institute, found that states with more degree holders are also states with better-paying jobs.

Government - even of the people, by the people and for the people - isn't cheap.Estimates are that government at all levels will extract $2.18 trillion from the pockets of the people in 1995. That's 31 percent more than in 1990 (though Congress still will run a budget deficit).The Tax Foundation, a private Washington tax-study group, figures that it works out to an average of $21,760 for every household in the country.Ouch!

With their bid last fall for deep property-tax cuts rejected by voters, Florida's real-estate agents are now seeking a different type of tax break. Their goal: persuade the Florida Legislature to eliminate the sales tax charged on commercial rent, an idea that - unlike last year's proposed property-tax cut - wouldn't need voters' consent. But the measure could rip an enormous hole in the state government's budget just as Florida's finances are beginning to recover from the economic collapse of recent years.

Like millions of other Americans, you may have paid your 1992 taxes on Thursday, but you'll still have to work a few more days to pay this year's federal, state and local taxes, according to the Tax Foundation. ''Tax Freedom Day'' will fall on April 26 for Floridians, May 3 for the average American, the foundation said Thursday. This is the mythical date by which an average worker would have earned enough to pay all his or her federal, state and local taxes if everything earned in the first part of the year were devoted solely to taxes.

Just as Americans confront Income Tax Deadline Day today comes news that Tax Freedom Day is a month away. The theoricial holiday that marks how long Americans need to work to pay federal, state and local taxes won't arrive until May 11 - one day later than in 1998.If it sounds depressing that the average American must work the equivalent of 131 days to pay taxes, just wait. It gets worse.In Florida, taxpayers have to work until May 14 until they have paid their share of taxes - longer than 41 other states including California, Texas, Massachusetts and every other state south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

INCREASE. The after-tax income of the typical median-income family has risen by $764 since 1981, according to the Tax Foundation. A lower inflation rate and across-the-board reductions in federal taxes account for the increase, the non-partisan research organization said. But disposable income this year will increase by only $10, considerably below gains in 1982, 1983 and 1984, the foundation said, because Social Security taxes will take a larger bite. After paying federal taxes, the four-member family with one wage earner in 1975 was left with $12,159 -- $24,401 in 1985 dollars.

WASHINGTON - For all but the wealthiest Americans, the federal income-tax burden has shrunk to the lowest level in four decades, according to a series of studies by liberal and conservative tax experts, the Clinton administration and two arms of the Republican-led Congress. Each of the studies slices the data in different ways, but the bottom line is the same: Most Americans this year will have to fork over less than 10 percent of their income to Uncle Sam when they file federal income taxes.

WASHINGTON -- The federal government spends slightly more money in Florida than it receives from the state's taxpayers, largely because of the billions of dollars that flow to retirees every year, according to a Tax Foundation study released on Wednesday. Uncle Sam in effect spent $1.02 in Florida for every dollar paid by state taxpayers in fiscal year 2004, the study found. That means the state just about broke even in the exchange of taxes and spending, unlike other states that are major donors or recipients.

Do you sometimes feel as if the entire tax load falls on your shoulders? If so, it would not come as a surprise to the Tax Foundation, a business- oriented, Washington-based research outfit that scrutinizes Internal Revenue Service statistics.According to the Tax Foundation, recent years have seen only slight changes in the share of the tax burden borne by middle- and upper-income taxpayers.Here is a rundown of some interesting statistics gleaned from returns filed by individuals for 1986, the latest year for which figures are available, and a comparison of those statistics with figures for 1984.

WASHINGTON -- President Obama 's opponents have unwittingly come up with a brilliant plan to avoid the " fiscal cliff . " They want to secede from the union. If Obama were serious about being a good steward of the nation's finances, he'd let them. The White House , in one of those astro-turf efforts that make people feel warm about small-d democracy, launched a "We the People" program on its website last year, allowing Americans to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

To hear Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tell it, the "47%" of people who pay no federal income taxes are a bunch of government-hugging freeloaders who aren't pulling their economic weight. In fact, he's talking about his fellow millionaires. At least some of them. According to the Tax Policy Center, about 4,000 households with annual incomes over $1 million ended up paying zilch in federal income taxes last year. An additional 14,000 households falling into this category made between $500,000 and $1 million.

The early results of Maryland's sales tax holiday are in: Retailers liked it. So did their customers. But tax policy wonks? Not so much. It will be a couple of months before the state finds out just how much it lost in sales tax revenue during its third annual back-to-school tax holiday. The state had estimated that it would forfeit about $10 million by waiving the 6 percent sales tax on clothing and shoes of up to $100. Is this good fiscal policy? Probably not. Is this money that could be better spent elsewhere by the state?

TALLAHASSEE — When they hear gripes about the perceived high levels of taxation in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott and lawmakers have a go-to pressure-relief valve: this weekend's sales-tax holiday. The "back-to-school" three-day tax holiday is a skimpy version of past efforts. It covers only clothing selling for $75 or less and school supplies going for $15 or less. And it doesn't cover books, which any studious school-shopper can tell you cost quite a bit these days. Hope you enjoy it. But advocates from both sides agree: You probably won't save much money.

Here's some good news for Gov. Rick Scott - though it does tend to undermine the GOP talking point that Florida businesses have been saddled with crushing levels of taxation. A new report from the Tax Foundation says Florida is again among the top five states in the country when it comes to offering businesses low tax burdens. The state ranked fifth, finishing behind Wyoming, South Dakota, Nevada and Alaska. Rhode Island, Vermont, California, New York and New Jersey were identified as those states with the heaviest tax loads.

Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday begins Friday and lasts through Sunday. Here is what consumers need to know about it. Q: What items are tax free? A: Clothes, footwear and some accessories, as long as each item or pair of shoes costs $75 or less. The tax exemption covers all clothing, not just children's. School supplies that sell for $15 or less also are exempt. Some items aren't as clear-cut, though. Bracelets and watches get taxed, but barrettes and wallets don't.

Do you sometimes feel as if the entire tax load falls on your shoulders? That would come as no surprise to the Tax Foundation, a business-oriented, Washington-based research and education organization that tracks how much of your income winds up in the coffers of the Internal Revenue Service.Recent years, says the Tax Foundation, have seen only slight changes in the share of the tax load borne by middle- and upper-income people, despite the top-to-bottom revamping of the Internal Revenue Code by the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

The mail I receive makes it clear that many of you feel as if the entire tax load falls on your shoulders. The widespread resentment comes as no surprise to the Tax Foundation, a business-oriented research and education organization based in Washington, D.C. It keeps track of how much of your income winds up with the Internal Revenue Service.According to the Tax Foundation, recent years have seen slight changes in the share of the tax load borne by basically middle- and upper-income persons, notwithstanding the overhaul of the Internal Revenue Code by the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, then Florida politicians are downright deranged. This state's failed economic policies have left Florida worse off than most every other state in America. And yet, Gov.-elect Rick Scott and the simpletons in Tallahassee want to double-down on disaster. Their plan is to cut the corporate income tax, which is already one of the lowest in America. They claim this will help you. But it's really just part of the continuing assault on the middle class.

With Florida still facing double-digit unemployment and budget shortfalls, creating jobs and managing state finances are front-burner issues in the contest for governor. So it's not surprising that two candidates with business backgrounds would be left standing after this week's primary. The campaign of Republican Rick Scott, the health care mogul who spent at least $50 million to beat Bill McCollum for his party's nomination, calls him one of the nation's "foremost entrepreneurs.